Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is to receive an honorary degree from Oxford University in the summer it has been announced.

The international music star and Qawwali singer will be presented with the Doctor of Music honour at a ceremony on June 26.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan said: “It is an incredible honour to be recognised by Oxford University, a world famous educational institution.

"The 26th of June will be a very special for me, my family and everyone who has been part of this journey with me. I am proud that my music has touched all corners of the globe and I want to thank Oxford University for giving me this honour and recognising my work in this way.”

Salman Ahmed, management for the maestro added, “It is our great pleasure to share this wonderful news with the world. Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s tremendous devotion to Sufi and Qawwali music has been his life’s work and to be recognised with an honorary degree from Oxford University is a very special recognition to him personally but also to all those who have supported him and are helping to create a musical legacy.”

Oxford University have previously recognised the work of Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan by naming one of their prestigious music halls after the maestro.

He carries the torch for a family which has a rich cultural history in music, a heritage which includes over 600 years in Sufi and Qawwali music folklore, initially made famous in modern pop culture but Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the uncle of Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

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